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Sparrow's Journey: Chapter Five
WRITTEN: 16 May 2012 Chapter Five: Sparrow's Job is Never Done 'Call me, Hammer!' replied Sister Hannah, taking Theresa's hand. The moment Hammer took Theresa's hand; they both disappeared in shimmering blue light leaving Sparrow and Shadow by themselves. I have taken Hammer to the Guild, said Theresa. You've done well, Sparrow. You have gathered the first of the three Heroes, and we are now one step closer to defeating Lucien's plans. '' ‘Wow, was that an actual praise?’ Sparrow said in a shocked, but mocking voice. Theresa never praised him. Usually she was scolding him. ''Don’t think too much of it, she said with a hint of amusement in her voice, but she soon became her serious self again. It will take some time for Hammer to overcome her grief, and longer to explain her role in Lucien's downfall. Perhaps this would be a good time to upgrade your equipment and to get a job. I believe there are several sales and jobs in Bowerstone and Oakfield. '' ‘Again with the job thing,’ Sparrow groaned. ''Yes, Sparrow. You play a dangerous game and you will eventually be caught. ‘No, I won’t.’ Yes, you will. You have become overconfident, which has made you careless… more careless than usual. Those wounds on your arms from the Wellspring Caves are proof of that! ‘That was Hammer’s fault. If I didn’t have to protect her –‘ Sparrow, get a job. You may find that you actually enjoy working. ‘I seriously doubt that,’ Sparrow snorted, but he nonetheless headed to Bowerstone to find a job, not that he went looking straight away. No, he had heard the citizens of Oakfield talking about the Temple of Shadows, in Rookridge, several times, and it caught his attention. It sounded like more fun than the Temple of Light, at least. So that was his first pit stop. In Rookridge, there is a dark cathedral which overlooks the ocean that houses the Temple of Shadows. A place feared by many people, especially the people of Oakfield who have heard terrible stories and have lost many loved ones. Sparrow found the cathedral quite easily; it was just off the path heading to Oakfield. When he arrived at the cathedral, his way was blocked by a locked gate and a man in a robe; however, it wasn't like the robes the monks at the Temple of Light wore. No, these robes were dark and part of it was blood red, though some of it could have actually been blood. 'Excuse me, sir. Can I interest you in joining the Temple of Shadows?' the cultist asked when Sparrow stopped in front of him. ‘You bet you can,’ Sparrow said eagerly, ‘just as long as I don’t have to wear what you are wearing.’ ‘It is only recommended to wear them during rituals. We do not force anyone to wear one.’ 'Okay, how do you join?' 'Oh, the entry requirements are quite simple,' he said. 'The Temple insists that all potential members perform an act of nefarious evil. Now of course, when I joined, it was kicking the crutches off disabled beggars; but you'll… you'll have to… eat… five crunchy chicks.' He looked like he was going to be sick, though he did jump when Sparrow started laughing. ‘That is the act of nefarious evil?’ Sparrow laughed. ‘No, seriously… What do I have to do?’ ‘I wasn’t joking. That is the requirements.’ Sparrow laughed even harder and somehow managed to choke out, ‘Pass me the chicks!’ The cultist eyes widened and handed Sparrow the chicks. He then watched in horror as Sparrow ate all five of them without throwing up. 'That, that is the vilest thing I've ever seen! And this, coming from someone who never misses Torture Tuesday's!' said the cultist. ‘I’m seriously beginning to wonder about this Temple’s definition of evil,’ Sparrow said seriously, pulling a feather out of his mouth. 'Anyway, yes, welcome to the Temple. You've earned your place among the Shadows!' The cultist opened the gate. Sparrow nodded his head to the cultist and walked in with his head held, leaving the cultist to practice his evil laugh, and he definitely need the practice. Sparrow then walked down a flight of stairs leading into the actual temple. Upon reaching the bottom, Sparrow found his way blocked by another Temple cultist. The only difference was Sparrow knew this cultist was different to the one he had met outside and knew that this one was the leader. 'Welcome, young disciple, to the Temple of Shadows,' the cultist leader began smoothly. 'I am Cornelius Grim. You have entered a venerable society of dark worship, with a long history of wicked deeds and opprobrious transgressions. Friday is poker night,' he added, nearly making Sparrow laugh. For an evil society, they didn't seem as evil as the citizens of Oakfield describe them to be. Sparrow was beginning to think of this society as a huge joke. 'Now, proceed down the hallway to our unholy Wheel of Misfortune – the most gruesome and terrifying device ever conceived,' Grim continued. ‘You have arrived in time to watch a most horrific sacrifice.’ Curious as to what the sacrifice was, Sparrow followed Grim’s instructions and proceeded down the hall where he came upon a group of Shadow Worshippers. 'Hey, look! We’ve got another recruit!' exclaimed one of the cultists, hurrying over to Sparrow. 'I'm Alastair,' he added, shaking Sparrow’s hand enthusiastically. 'Sparrow.’ 'Well, Sparrow, you have come at a wondrous moment,' said Alastair, leading him over to a giant wheel with different pictures of people dying on it such as impaling and being burnt. 'Tarquin captured a group of the Temple of Light monks to put in the circle, though I’ll never understand how he managed to capture them in the first place.’ 'What do you mean, “put into the circle”?' Sparrow questioned, his curiosity peaked again. 'The Sacrificial Circle,' Alastair explained, pointing to the circle in front of them. 'The Shadows just can't get enough sacrifices, jolly well love them, they do, especially the Light monks. Each victim you bring into the Sacrificial Circle earns you a nice little bundle of loyalty points, and with the Temple of Shadows Award Scheme, once you've earned enough points you can collect a really quite smashing prize. Tarquin, bring through the victims!' he yelled. Sparrow turned to see the cultist that had granted him membership waltz in leading no less than ten Temple of Light monks, whom were all chained together. Once the monks were in the circle, Tarquin literally ran to a lever just outside the circle. It was then that one of the monks recognised Sparrow. 'You!' the monk exclaimed angrily. 'How could you betray us? Were you the one that planned the Abbott's death? Did you kill Sister Hannah, too? Is that why she has disappeared? You traitor, Sparrow!' ‘I did not kill her, thank you very much!’ Sparrow huffed. ‘She left on her own accord, for she finally realised how ridiculous your passive society is. But don’t worry; I’ll take good care of her.’ ‘Why you little –‘ Whatever Sparrow was he did not know, for Tarquin chose that moment to pull the lever and the wheel behind Sparrow started to spin. When it stopped, lightning appeared out of nowhere, electrocuting all the monks until they were nothing more than mere skeletons. The cultists then looked at Sparrow who returned their gaze calmly. 'So, you have the Temple of Light's trust, do you?' Grim asked, stepping out of the shadows and walking towards Sparrow. ‘Apparently so, though I don’t really know how I earned it,’ replied Sparrow. ‘Though it may have been from escorting the Abbott’s adopted daughter through the Wellspring Caves for my own reasons. I thought it had been obvious how I felt about their stupid worship.’ ‘Ah, but this could be more perfect,’ Grim said with a slight purr in his cold voice. 'What do you mean?' Tarquin asked, confusion written all over his face. 'What I mean is that my young disciple has just handed us the key to the Temple of Light’s undoing. By having one of our members as a trusted ally of those gullible Light fools, we will have a chance to destroy them from the inside. Young Sparrow can help please the Shadows’ thirst for Light monk sacrifices by leading them here.' ‘I don’t know if they trust me that much. They will not willingly follow me here,’ Sparrow said serious. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Grim said, wrapping his arm around Sparrow’s shoulders and leading him away from the Wheel. ‘As long as you get them to Rookridge without causing suspicion, it’s fine. Once in Rookridge you can then show your true colours. No one will ever know that you are involved… at least in the beginning, but by the time they do realise, it will be too late.’ That night, Grim sent Sparrow back to the Temple of Light to get some more monks. Sparrow willingly accepted, but he was also nervous, at least he thought it was nerves. There was a feeling inside of him that he could not explain, so he tried to ignore it. On the way to the Temple of Light, a thousand different ideas passed through his mind on how to get them to follow him, and by the time he arrived at the Temple of Light, he knew the perfect lie. ‘Ah, just the person I was hoping to see,’ the new Abbott said as Sparrow entered the Temple. ‘I am?’ said a slightly surprised Sparrow, before asking suspiciously, ‘Why?’ ‘Nothing to worry about, dear boy,’ said the Abbott, noticing Sparrow’s suspicious look. ‘We only wondered if you could help us once more.’ ‘With what? I’m not collecting more water from the Wellspring Caves.’ ‘No, it is nothing like that. We only wondered if you could find some of our fellow monks. They went missing yesterday morning and the guards have no new leads.’ ‘Oh, I already know where they are,’ Sparrow lied. ‘They are in Rookridge. They found a holy spot there and sent me here to tell their fellow monks. They asked me to escort their fellow monks there so they could see for themselves.’ ‘In that case, I’ll send word to the other monks. I’ll have them meet you at the Sandgoose at around two this afternoon.’ ‘Fine by me,’ Sparrow said, withholding a smirk. At two that afternoon, Sparrow led a large group of excited monks out of Oakfield to Rookridge. Once in Rookridge, at the intersection leading to Oakfield, the Temple of Shadows and Bowerstone, Sparrow stopped and looked around, making sure no one was around that would go and alert the guards of his actions. There was no one around. ‘Why did you stop, Adventurer?’ one of the monks questioned. ‘I just need to rest,’ Sparrow lied convincingly. ‘I’m still a little tired from the Wellspring Caves.’ ‘We shouldn’t rest here for very long,’ the monk warned. ‘And why’s that? I’m scarier and tougher than anybody up here.’ ‘We are close to the Temple of Shadows. Even you are no match for those heartless cultists.’ ‘They won’t bother me,’ Sparrow said, sitting carelessly on a nearby crate. ‘But that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t bother you monks,’ said the cold voice of a cultist as the Temple of Shadow cultists surrounded the monks. They had been hidden amongst the crates and other pieces of junk where Sparrow and the monks stopped. ‘We’ve never sacrificed this many monks to the Shadows before,’ said Alastair, walking over to Sparrow as the cultists managed to bound all the monks. ‘The Shadows will be pleased.’ ‘Wh-what? You are part of this?’ exclaimed one of the monks. ‘Obviously,’ Sparrow snorted. ‘I cannot believe your Abbott fell for that holy spot. But he’ll eventually realise his mistake when it is too late.’ For the rest of the week, Sparrow rounded up as many Temple of Light monks he could, using the same continuous lie of the holy spot, and when he was asked about where the other monks were, he lied saying that they were still praying. On Sparrow’s sixth visit to Oakfield, he was met by a group of a suspicious guards and a very worried Abbott. ‘Is something wrong?’ Sparrow asked innocently. ‘Sparrow, where are the monks?’ the Abbott asked. ‘They’re here in Oakfield, aren’t they?’ Sparrow asked curiously, feeling as though the slightest slip up would land him in trouble. ‘No, they’re not!’ snapped the sheriff. ‘No one has seen them since you took them on that little field trip!’ ‘You mean they haven’t come back yet?’ Sparrow asked, pretending to get worried. ‘What do you mean?’ asked a dried-mouth Abbott. ‘I left them yesterday afternoon,’ Sparrow explained with a convincing story. ‘I asked them if they wanted me to escort them back, but they said no.’ ‘They refused your protection?’ said a shocked Abbott. ‘Why would they do such a thing?’ ‘I asked them the same thing, and they said something about the Light protecting them. Would you like me to go out and look for them?’ ‘No. We want you to take us to the same spot you took the monks,’ one of the guards said firmly. Sparrow stared at them. He was in trouble now. The guards weren’t as stupid as they looked. ‘Is something wrong, child?’ asked the Abbott, looking at Sparrow closely. ‘You bet there is,’ the sheriff growled. ‘You’re trusted adventurer just made that entire story up. So make it easy on yourself, son, and tell us the truth. Your sentence won’t be as harsh if you co-operate.’ ‘So tell me,’ Sparrow said, getting ready to flee. ‘Sacrificing monks at the Temple of Shadows would be a life sentence, so you’re – what? – going to make it half a life behind bars?’ The Abbott’s and the guards’ eyes widened dramatically in horror. ‘You despicable criminal!’ the sheriff roared. ‘You are under arrest!’ ‘Sorry, I’ll have to pass,’ Sparrow said cheekily, before running off, cursing slightly as the guards chased him. By the time Sparrow reached the lookout point in Rookridge, he had lost the guards because of a bunch of bandits. ‘That was a close one, Shadow,’ Sparrow said, falling to the ground, laughing. It was actually quite fun tormenting the guards. ‘At least some have a joyful life,’ someone sobbed. Sparrow looked around and felt his jaw drop. Just a few metres away from him was a ghost. An upset ghost, as a matter of fact. ‘My life isn’t as joyful as I just let on,’ Sparrow told the ghost. The ghost jumped and looked at Sparrow. 'Are you… are you looking at me?’ he gasped. ‘You… you can see me?' ‘Why wouldn’t I be able to see you?’ ‘You are the first person I’ve come across who can see me,’ he said. ‘I've been wandering this place for so long, so lost… so… so angry. I needed to find justice. You have no idea what I've suffered and the pain that still keeps me in this world.' ‘I’m pretty sure I would probably have a good idea,’ Sparrow said coldly. ‘Really? Have you been left standing at the altar too?’ the ghost demanded. ‘Alter? As in marriage?’ Sparrow questioned. ‘That’s all you have suffered? Being stood up? Mate, you need a reality check. That is a joke compared to the pain I have suffered,’ he added harshly, before walking off towards Bowerstone. The ghost chased after him. ‘No, please, don’t go!’ he begged. ‘You are the only one to bring me justice. I want her to feel what I felt that day!' Sparrow ignored him as he fought off a group of bandits. He was surprised to see that the ghost spoke the truth when he said no one else could see him, for the bandits took no notice of the ghost. 'The pain! The humiliation! I want her heart to shatter in so many pieces she can't go on living! Will you help me?' Sparrow stopped walking and looked at the desperate ghost. ‘Are you giving me permission to play with someone’s heart?’ Sparrow asked eventually. ‘Yes.’ ‘Is she pretty?’ ‘She’s the most beautiful girl in Bowerstone!’ ‘Then I’ll do it, but not for you. I need some entertainment.’ ‘Thank you,’ the ghost exclaimed happily. ‘It won't be easy, though. You'll have to make her fall in love with you, utterly and completely!' ‘That will be easy,’ Sparrow snorted, continuing on to Bowerstone, with the ghost walking next to him and Shadow running and playing ahead of them. ‘I have several people completely and utterly in love with me in both Bowerstone and Oakfield… both genders. I’m sure she’ll be easy.’ 'That’s good news,’ the ghost said happily. ‘Now, when she is ready to except your proposal and can't imagine her life without you, give her this.' He handed Sparrow a piece of parchment. Sparrow accepted it and quickly read it: Dear Alex It is time for you to know the truth. I don't love you. I never loved you. This was all a game for me. You are empty and deceitful and I hope you never find the slightest glimmer of happiness in this life. 'I've spent a lot of time thinking of the right wording,' the ghost said conversationally, 'and even longer putting it onto paper.' ‘I bet you did,’ muttered Sparrow, putting the letter in his pocket. ‘What does Alex look like and where can I find her?’ ‘She has beautiful long, blonde hair, blue eyes, white skin, about this high, and very beautiful,’ the ghost answered with a dreamy look on his face. ‘She’ll probably be in Bowerstone Market, at the Cow and Corset, living her life while I’m stranded between worlds,’ he added bitterly. ‘Right, I’m going to have some fun,’ said Sparrow. ‘Good luck, and tell me how it goes.’ '-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----' When Sparrow arrived in Bowerstone Old Town, two angry voices met his ears. 'It's your fault, Max! You're the one that found it!' 'You're the one that read the words, Sam. It's your fault!' 'You're the one that said I was chicken if I didn't read it in the first place! Ha!' argued the one named Sam. 'Yes, but you're the one that… hey, look!' said Max, and Sparrow knew that he was referring to him. He kept walking hoping the brothers wouldn’t follow him. He wasn’t in luck. 'You have to help us!' exclaimed Sam, catching up with Sparrow. ‘And why should I do that?’ Sparrow asked discouragingly. He couldn’t understand why people thought he’d help them. 'He raised the dead!' the brothers yelled in unison, pointing at each other. 'How on earth did you do that?’ asked Sparrow, curiosity peaked. 'We read out loud from this book we found called the Normanomicon…' began Max. 'You're the one that found it, remember?' said Sam. 'Yeah, and you're the one that read – oh, never mind… the thing is…' 'The thing is we accidently summoned a few hollow men,' concluded Sam. ‘Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to read aloud from strange books?’ Sparrow inquired. ‘If you’ve summoned only a few hollow men, why not let the guards deal with it. That’s what they are paid for. I know they are hopeless, but I’m sure they can survive fighting a small number of hollow men.’ 'Um, when Sam said a few hollow men, he really meant a few hundred,' admitted Max. ‘Oh,’ said Sparrow. ‘Where’s the book now?’ 'They have the book,' answered Sam. Sparrow didn't need to ask who "they" were. 'Only because you dropped it, you big chicken!' snapped Max. 'Let me guess; you want me to clear the graveyard and get the book so you can send them back to wherever they all came from!' Sparrow sighed, rubbing the back if his neck. ‘Yes.’ ‘Be grateful that I am in a good mood,’ Sparrow told the brothers before walking towards the Bowerstone Cemetery. When Sparrow arrived at the cemetery, he knew that he was in the right place, and not because of the sign saying "Bowerstone Cemetery", or because of all the graves. No, he knew that he was in the right place due to all of the people running past him screaming about hollow men and the dead coming back to life. As Sparrow walked down the path leading deeper into the graveyard, he came to a group of chickens pecking around outside a gate, but what interested Sparrow was what was inside that gate… hollow men, and it was a big group of them too. Grinning like a manic, Sparrow charged at them and in moments, zombie dust filled the air. With these hollow men gone, Sparrow decided to check the Bowerstone Cemetery Mansion. He was about to cross the small bridge, which led to the mansion, when he heard the noise of hollow men appearing underneath the bridge. He drew his rifle and started to pick them off one at a time as they ran up the main path trying to get him. The Hero soon defeated those hollow men as well, and then made his way back up to the mansion. When he arrived, he saw that there was no evidence of the living dead around so he headed back the way he had come, and then continued down the main path to the main graveyard. Now, just before the graveyards opening there is a path that is said to lead to a bandit meeting place. Sparrow headed up that path; half hoping he would come across bandits and hollow men fighting each other. It would be an interesting show. Alas, he did not find that, but he did find hollow men along the path. Once he had dispatched them, he entered the bandit meeting area and saw it was empty, apart from one man with very hairy legs known as Micky the Spider. ‘Have you seen any hollow men around this part of the cemetery?’ Sparrow asked, stopping in front of him. ‘No, but I am looking for young ambitious people, much like yourself, to help with a new and exciting job opportunity,’ said Micky. ‘And what is this job opportunity?’ Sparrow inquired, thinking back to Theresa telling him to get a job. ‘Civilian Displacement!’ ‘I’ve never heard of it.’ ‘Well, they use to call it “kidnapping people and selling them into slavery,” but it didn’t sit well with today’s ever toughening market,’ said Micky. ‘So, you interested? There’s good gold, you know.’ ‘Well, my guardian wants me to get a job, so I might as well,’ Sparrow said, knowing all too well this wasn’t the type of job she meant. ‘Okay then,’ Micky said, handing Sparrow a card. ‘Here’s what they’re looking for. Find the right type of citizen and then take them to the camp. It’s all on the card.’ ‘Right,’ said Sparrow, before walking off, reading the card as he went. They wanted a random citizen delivered to Rookridge camp. Keeping in mind the easy gold Micky was willing to give him, Sparrow headed back onto the main road and went to finish off the rest of the hollow men. Upon destroying the hundred hollow men, Sparrow went in search of the Normanomicon – otherwise known as The Book of the Extremely Dead – while those still alive in the graveyard cheered him and the guards shook their heads disapprovingly. When Sparrow arrived back at Bowerstone Old Town, with the Normanomicon in hand, he found Sam and Max standing in the same place he had left them. They both looked very worried and anxious. 'Here you go, boys,' Sparrow said, chucking the book at Sam, who dropped it. ‘Nice catch,’ Sparrow said mockingly, before walking off, leaving the brothers to deal with the undo spell. If they mucked it up now, they were on their own. Sparrow still wasn’t entirely sure as to why he helped them for nothing. However, if he hadn’t helped them, he wouldn’t have gotten a job. Knowing that he would need to take a citizen to Rookridge, Sparrow decided to have fun with Alex first, then deal with the slave so he wouldn’t have to make more than one trip. The ghost was right when he said that Alex would be in the Cow and Corset. He was also right when he said she was a beautiful woman. Sparrow noted she looked very sad, as he stood in the shadows observing her while she glumly watched everyone laughing around her. He decided to make his move, hoping she wasn’t one of those girls who didn’t fall for his good looks and flattery. He got his usual room at the tavern, dumped his belongings inside, before heading back downstairs and ordering two drinks. He then took the drinks over to Alex. She started slightly as he put the drink in front of her. ‘You look as though you could use some company,’ Sparrow said quietly, sitting down across from her. She gave Sparrow something that could have been a smile. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘I'm… I'm sure you're a really nice person, but… I'm not much of a talker these days.' ‘That’s alright. I’m not much of a talker either.’ She gave him a small smile and accepted the drink. Together they sat there in silence, before Alex said, 'Isn't it amazing? All these people, they look so happy, don't they?’ ‘That’s because they have no worries and haven’t experienced pain,’ Sparrow said, pretending to be slightly upset. ‘You’ve experienced great pain too, haven’t you?’ Alex asked gently. ‘I lost my parents when I was five and my sister when I was eight,’ Sparrow said with a shrug. He didn’t know why he was telling her this. ‘I’m so sorry.’ ‘It’s in the past.’ ‘But it will always haunt you,’ Alex said wisely. ‘You speak as though through experience,’ Sparrow pretended to note. ‘I haven’t suffered as badly as you have, but… I almost got married a few years ago,’ Alex admitted. ‘He was a sweet boy, but… we were both so young… too young. I got scared and ran away the day of the wedding. I hurt him so badly. He… he took his own life. I've carried that guilt around with me ever since.’ ‘That must be terrible,’ Sparrow said acting as though he was sympathetic. He now knew how to seduce her. He would be sympathetic and slowly gain her trust, before starting to show some interest in the older woman. And so he did. As the weeks wore on, Sparrow worked on seducing Alex and gaining her trust. It became his number one priority, except when he was capturing slaves for Micky’s friends and working his second job as a Bounty Hunter. Eventually the day came when Alex started to drop hints of a proposal. It was then that Sparrow knew it was time to give her the letter. He took her to the Bowerstone Clock Tower, her favourite place in Bowerstone, at sunset and pulled out a small red box; a wedding ring box. As Alex saw Sparrow pull out the box, her eyes lit up and she began to fidget excitedly. Sparrow handed her the box. She accepted it with a slight squeal. With trembling fingers she opened the box and found a neatly folded letter – it was folded several times to fit into the box. Her excitement faded slightly. ‘What’s this?’ she asked, still smiling. Sparrow did not answer. Instead, he watched her intently as she unfolded the letter. ‘''Dear Alex'',’ she began to read happily, but as she read on her happiness slowly faded away. ‘''It’s time for you to know the truth…''’ She read the rest of the letter silently. By the time she had finished reading, she was in tears. She looked up into Sparrow’s face, hoping to see that he was just playing a sick joke. She didn’t see that. All she saw in his eyes was coldness and a cruel amusement. She then realised how badly he fooled her. ‘I don’t… I don’t understand. This was… it was all a trick? No, it can’t be true. It can’t be true! No!’ she screamed, throwing the ring box and letter at Sparrow, before running off, drawing attention to Sparrow. ‘I had to tell her that I only wanted to be friends. She took it worse than I thought,’ Sparrow told the glaring crowd, pretending to look guilty. They bought it. When the crowd had disappeared, Sparrow gave a sigh of relief and headed back to Rookridge; back to the ghost. When he arrived at Rookridge lookout, he got a big surprise. The ghost had a female ghost with him… Alex. ‘I’m so sorry for what I did to you, Victor,’ Alex cried to the other ghost, who had his arms folded across his chest. ‘I’ve never forgiven myself, you know. And I never… I never forgot you.’ ‘I loved you so much,’ said Victor. ‘And I loved you too!’ Alex said, taking his hand in hers. ‘Maybe this is our second chance. Maybe we can -’ She broke off when she noticed Sparrow leaning against a statue of a famous sea captain in the middle of the lookout, watching the ghost couple calmly. ‘You!’ she screeched. ‘What are you doing here? You broke my heart! You toyed with my life and threw it away. And now you’re here!’ ‘Well, I had to tell Victor that the plan was a success,’ Sparrow said coldly, ‘but I see now that I needn’t have bothered.’ Alex’s eyes widened and she turned to Victor. ‘This was your idea?’ she said as she began to cry again. ‘You just wanted revenge. I don’t believe this!’ ‘I was upset!’ Victor said defensively. ‘It’s not easy being dead, you know! I mean, you’ll see for yourself…’ ‘I never want to see you again!’ Alex yelled as she ran off. ‘Either of you!’ ‘Wait! Alex! Wait!’ Victor yelled, running after her. ‘You’re welcome,’ Sparrow yelled mockingly after Victor. ‘What a bunch of fools,’ he added, heading back Bowerstone. Has it really become so that you enjoy breaking hearts and destroying lives? Theresa asked sadly. ‘It’s their own fault,’ Sparrow shrugged. ‘Did you want something?’ Yes, come back to the Guild when you are ready. ‘Right, I’m heading there now.’